It is well known in the art that tenderized meat tastes better, cooks easier and faster, and absorbs seasonings and aromatic spices better than meat that is not tenderized. A particular portion of meat may be tender or tough depending on the species of the animal slaughtered, its breed, its health, its feed, the amount of exercise it got, whether it was fed at a feed lot before slaughter, and a variety of other factors. People tend to prefer tender meat because it is easier to eat, easier to digest, and tends to be more flavorful.
Various devices and methods for tenderizing meat are also well known in the art. Pounding meat with meat tenderizing mallets is the most common means of tenderizing meat, but has the drawbacks of destroying the texture of the meat, and causing a great mess through splattered meat particles.
Chemical tenderizers, e.g. Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG), are used to tenderize meats but these have the drawbacks of frequently changing the flavor of the meat, and generating potential health risks to some people.
The invention solves the problem of having the control at your fingertips for applying a controlled amount of pressure to a piece of meat so to gently tenderize and flatten meat without tearing. Tearing is a problem especially, when working with more delicate cuts of meat like veal, chicken, pork and the like.
Other methods of tenderizing meat include marinating, aging, and the like, but these methods require extra time to be fully effective and can change the texture and flavor of the meat being treated.
Known art related to a meat tenderizing device includes the following.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,735, issued to Stagg on Oct. 22, 1850 discloses a hand cranked meat tenderizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 150,893, issued to Robbins et al. on May 12, 1874 discloses a two-handed roller meat tenderizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 443,482, issued to Ginter on Mar. 17, 1891 discloses a one-handed roller meat tenderizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 725,840, issued to Hastings on Apr. 21, 1903 discloses a two-handed roller for cutting and tenderizing beefsteak.
U.S. Pat. No. 866,106, issued to Baker on Sep. 17, 1907 discloses a one-handed meat tenderizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,694,221, issued to Dura on Nov. 16, 1954 discloses a two-handed meat tenderizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,823, issued to Langner on Jun. 30, 1964 discloses a one-handed meat tenderizer device.
U.S. Pat. No. D253,155, issued to Jurida on Oct. 16, 1979 illustrates a one-handed meat tenderizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,753, issued to Marchese on Oct. 3, 1995 discloses a modular food processing assembly of the present invention includes a rigid support frame, and two elongated horizontally oriented generally cylindrical rollers being rotatably supported by the frame. The rollers may be provided with a plurality of serrated teeth distributed radially and axially about the surface of the rollers, and the rollers are oriented generally parallel to each other. A hand crank is frictionally and removably connected to an end of a roller. Unified translation and compression means connect the rollers proximate the ends of the rollers translating rotation of the hand crank into rotation of the two rollers and further causing the rollers to be compressed against the food being processed. A clamp assembly is also included which is adapted to secure the frame to a fixed base, whereby when the hand crank is rotated, the food passes through the rotating rollers and becomes processed.
U.S. Pat. No. D365,971, issued to Brockmann on Jan. 9, 1996 illustrates a two-handed roller meat tenderizer.
U.S. Pat. No. D401,815, issued to Filipovic on Dec. 1, 1998 illustrates a one-handed meat tenderizing roller.
U.S. Pat. No. D423,888, issued to Kaposi on May 2, 2000 illustrates a meat tenderizer head for a one-handed held mallet tenderizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,090, issued to Thompson on Dec. 12, 2000 discloses a two-handed roller apparatus used to tenderize meats and poultry products.
U.S. Pat. No. D481,268 S, issued to Hibbert et al. on Oct. 28, 2003 illustrates a one-handed meat tenderizer with spiked roller and marinate dispensing handle.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not utilize or disclose a tenderizing device having alternating non-linear arrays of serrations and flattening elements on two opposing graduated handles where the serrations vary in size.
A need exists for an apparatus and a method of tenderizing meats that is safer than a mallet, provides for a quick and efficient tenderization of the meats such that it will not shred or otherwise harm the meat, and allows for a more sanitary way to tenderize meats.
Therefore, a need exists for a tenderizing device with these attributes and functionalities. The tenderizing device according to embodiments of the invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art. It can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved tenderizing device which can be used commercially. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills these objectives.
The foregoing patent and other information reflect the state of the art of which the inventors are aware and are tendered with a view toward discharging the inventors' acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be pertinent to the patentability of the present invention. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoing patent and other information do not teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the inventors' claimed invention.